Gbading attachment fob steam shovels



Feb. 9, 1932. A. FARNSTROM 1,844,465

GRADING ATTACHMENT FOR STEAM SHOVELS Filed Aug. 51, 1951 I Inn n n11 n INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 9, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ALBIN FABNFJTROM, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF T0 JOHN SAVER-IO VENTRELLE, 013 DETROIT, MICHIGAN GRADING ATTACHMENT FOR STEAM SHOVELS Application filed August 31, 1931.

The invention relates to grading machines and more particularly to a machine adapted for sub-grading a road bed preparatory to the laying of a pavement thereon. In the present state of the art of concrete road construction it is usual to first establish the rough grade, then to lay form rails upon opposite sides of the roadway to limit the width of the pavement and also to form a track on which the cement laying mechanism can travel. However, after the setting of these form rails it is necessary to sub-grade so as to provide a foundation for the cement in predetermined relation to the plane of the upper face of the rails. Various devices have been used for effecting this sub-grading, such as scrapers or scarificrs operated by tractors. It is. however, the object of the present invention to accomplish the desired result by the use of a simple attachment to apparatus that is already upon the job. Thus in the original grading operation steam shovels are employed and my improvement consists in the use of the steam shovel together with a simple attachment for also effecting the subgrading. To this end the invention consists in the construction as hereinafter set forth.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a cross section through a roadway illustrating my improved sub-grading apparatus in position for operation.

.tigure 2 is a longitudinal section;

lhligure is a similar view showing the operation of transporting and dumping the load;

Figure i is a plan view of the apron.

its illustrated in Figure 1, A is the road bed after the first grading operation and B are the form rails which are placed in position at opposite sides of the road. After the placing of these rails the surface of the road between the same is still in an uneven condition, being high at certain points and possibly low at others, and therefore before the laying of the cement it is necessary to subgrade, which I accomplish by the following construction. C are wheeled trucks adapted to engage the opposite form rails 13 and D is a cross beam connecting the truck C and ex- Serial N 0. 560,463.

ta-aiding above the intervening roadway. l luspcnded from the cross beam D is an apron .311 profera bly of a width equal at least to one half the width of the road or if desired'it may be for the full width of theroad. Theforward edge F of this apron forms a cutting blade which is arranged at such an angle that there will be a slight tendency to draw downward or into the earth. The rear end of this apron is provided with a supporting shoe G which slides over the cut path and holds the apron at the desired angle. The apron E is provid :l with side flanges H which converge rearwardi y and at their rear ends are adapted to engage the bucket I ofa steam shovel. This bucket is supported by the usual beam J and is operated by the usual mechanism (not shown). The apron may be attached to the bucket by a clamping bar K which extends over the upper side of the. bucket and is secured to the sides H of the apron b bolts L. 'lfhus the apron is so attached to tie bucket that it may be lifted therewith in usual operation of the steam shovel.

With the construction as thus far described, the operation is as follows: The apron E is first attached to the bucket of the steam shovel as previously described and its forwardend is then suspended from the beam D by suitable suspensionhooks L. These are preferably provided with means such as the threaded bolts M and adjusting nuts N for raising and lowering the cutting edge F of the apron so as to arrange the same in the desired relation to the plane of the upper faces of the rails B. Assuming that one side of the road bed extends slightl higher than the plane of the cutting edge thisis out to the desired grade by driving the steam shovel forward which through its armJ and bucket I will propel the apron E and through the anchorsL will also propel the beam D and trucks 0 during this movement the beam will hold the cutting edge F from moving downward while the angle of the apron is such as to avoid any tendency to rise upward or to ride over the earth. After the machine has been propelled a sufficient distance to load the apron with the removed earth, the steam shovel is moved backward a suflicient disand to dump the load wherever desired. In

case, as frequently happens, one side of the road bed 's slightly below grade as indicated at O, theremoved earth may be dumped in this low spot and subsequently graded by passing the apron E over the same. If on the other hand there are .no low places in the road bed the apron and bucket may be dumped at one side of the road.

One of the chief advantages of my 0011- 1 struction is that the same device which is used for cutting the earth to establish the subgrade is also employed for transporting and dumping the removed earth. This greatly simplifies the operation over constructions where the earth is cut with one piece of apparatus' and then the loosened earth must be removed by other means 'Another great advantage is thatthe steam shovel is already on the job and is available for this operation which avoids the necessity of providing tractors or other equipment.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. The combination with a steam shovel and the form rails of a pavement laying apparatus, of a grader comprising a wheeled. frame adapted to travel on said form rails,

an apron supported from said frame and having a forward cutting edge in predetermined relation to the plane of the rails, and means for propelling said apron and frame from said steam shovel.

' 2. The combination with a steam shovel and the form rails of a pavement laying apparatus, of a wheeled frame adapted to travel upon said form rails and extending across the intervening road bed, an apron 'detachably supported from said frame and having a forward cutting edge held in predetermined relation to the plane of said rails and means for attaching said apron to the bucket of a steam shovel to be propelled thereby.

3. The combination with a steam shovel and the form rails of a pavement laying ape, paratus, of a wheeled frame adapted to travel upon said form rails and extending across the intervening road bed, an apron 'detachably supported from said frame and having a for ward cutting edge held in predetermined relation to the plane of said 'rails, meansfor attaching said apron tothe'bucket of a steam shovel to be propelled thereby, and a shoe for supporting the rear end of said apron on the road bed and establishing a predetermined inclination to the forward cutting edge.

4. The combination with a steam shovel and the form rails of a pavement laying apparatus, of a wheeled frame adapted to travel upon "said form rails and'extending across the interveningiroad bed, of an apron having a wide forwardcutting edge with sides converging rearwardly and adapted at their rear ends to embrace and to be secured to the bucket of a steam shovel, and hooked anchors for supporting the forward portion of said apron 1n predetermined relation to the plane of said form rails permitting of disengagement of the apron from said frame to dump mined relation tothe plane of said rails by detachab y uppe t ng he sam f m sa wheeled frame, propelling said apron and wheeled frame by the steam shovel and inter? med t y ifting the arms y sa d, buck to mo e nd du p he a In estim ny ALBI AB STBOM- whereof I aflix my signature. 

